Bird tally keeps tabs on changing ecosystem

Participants in Audubon's 113th Christmas Bird Count try to identify a bird at Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange on Dec. 16. From left: Linda Oberholtzer using a camera, Debbie Gley using a telescope, and Gretchen McCausland and Bob Gley using bird guides. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

If you go

What: Coastal Christmas Bird Count

When: Sunday

Cost: Free

For more information and to sign up, call Steve Alter at 714-69-9482 or scalter1@pacbell.net

Steve Alter relishes the early-morning air, the quiet of the landscape and the challenge of spotting elusive birds in the brush. For more than 20 years, bird-watching has been his escape from the brisk demands of work.

But for Alter, it all started with a crush.

"I was kind of interested in her, so I got interested in her hobby," Alter, 56, said of his now wife. The two lovebirds now schedule their vacations around finding different fowl.

Alter organized two of three 66th annual Christmas Bird Counts in Orange County sponsored by the Irvine-based nonprofit Sea & Sage Audubon Society. One of two local chapters of the National Audubon Society, Sea & Sage provides conservation, research and environmental education programs to protect and restore natural habitats.

Now in its 113th year, the Christmas Bird Count draws hundreds of avid bird-watchers across the country to count all the fowl in circles 15 miles in diameter, which are divided into several areas. It's the longest-running citizen science survey in the world, and results dating to the first count in 1900 are available in a searchable database online at netapp.audubon.org/cbcobservation/.

Previous bird counts in Orange County's inland, coastal and San Juan Capistrano circles have recorded more than 330 species.

"A lot of people don't realize how many birds are out there," said Darrell Wilson, who organizes the San Juan Capistrano count. "Most people wouldn't be able to see or identify more than a handful of birds."

But how accurate is the census if birds can move around? It's not an exact science, but the numbers give researchers a fairly good idea of average populations in a given area over time, said Rodd Kelsey, director of migratory bird conservation for Audubon California.

Some birds are tricky to spot, especially at night, so watchers identify them by playing bird songs from small speakers and counting the responses, Alter said. Occasionally, a bird might get lost on a trip from elsewhere, so birdwatchers are asked to include a detailed description or a photo to verify the bird was actually in Orange County.

A pair of bird experts then review the data, which is calibrated for the number of volunteers in a given area.

The results allow scientists to track changes in the environment and often justify preservation or development in certain areas depending on how rare and irreplaceable the ecosystem is.

In recent years, the American crow population has grown dramatically – in Orange County and elsewhere – thanks to its ability to adapt to human-dominated environments, Kelsey said.

But the burrowing owl hasn't been so lucky. The 7-inch-high fluffy owl – Wilson's favorite bird – which uses squirrel holes in the ground as nests is on the decline because development is reducing its habitat.

In the next few months, Audubon will release maps of the likely geographic range for more than 500 species depending on different climate-change models, Kelsey said. The maps will show where certain birds will persist if the habitat is maintained and where others might need to be relocated through "assisted migration."

Aside from contributing to the research, for many, bird-watching is a way to connect with the land. Most watchers are older or retired as they have more time on their hands, said Wilson, a retired project manager for a medical-device development company.

Many keep lists of all the birds they've sighted by state or county, said Alter, who uses his own life list as an itinerary for traveling and vacations.

"It's an opportunity to let everything else drop away in order to really see what's around you," he said. "I find it very therapeutic just for training me to focus on the here and now."

Related Links

Participants in Audubon's 113th Christmas Bird Count try to identify a bird at Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange on Dec. 16. From left: Linda Oberholtzer using a camera, Debbie Gley using a telescope, and Gretchen McCausland and Bob Gley using bird guides. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A northern mockingbird is spotted and counted during the 113th Christmas Bird Count in Peters Canyon Regional Park. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Laguna Niguel bird-watcher Gretchen McCausland uses a bird guide to help identify the birds she sees along the trail. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Participants in the Christmas Bird Count meet in the parking lot before breaking off into two groups and go in different directions in an effort to count as many birds as possible in Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange on Dec. 16. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A song sparrow is spotted and counted during the annual count in Peters Canyon Regional Park. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Christiane Shannon, left, Robert Repp, Brad Dawson and Peter Wetzel stop along a trail to look for birds during the count in Peters Canyon Regional Park on Dec. 16. Wetzel, holding the clipboard, is tasked with recording each bird spotted. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Robert Repp, left, Peter Wetzel, Brad Dawson and Christiane Shannon stop along a trail to look for birds. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Allen's hummingbird is spotted and counted in Peters Canyon Regional Park. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Pelicans float on the lake as bird-watchers observe. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A group of participants follow a trail through Peters Canyon Regional Park as they begin their quest to count as many birds as possible. From left : Brad Dawson of Long Beach, Peter Wetzel of Orange, Robert Repp of Huntington Beach and Christiane Shannon of Yorba Linda. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bird-watcher Bob Gley shows a bird photo he snapped on his digital camera to the other members of his group during the Christmas Bird Count in Peters Canyon Regional Park. From: Gley, Linda Oberholtzer, Debbie Gley and Gretchen McCausland. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Using a high-powered telescope, Robert Repp, left, looks at a red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree about 300 yards away as Christiane Shannon and Brad Dawson watch. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bird-watchers use guides, which have detailed pictures of almost every bird in North America, to help identify species. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Irvine bird-watcher Robert Scrimger uses high-powered binoculars to observe birds during the Christmas Bird Count in Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange on Dec. 16. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Christiane Shannon points out a bird as Peter Wetzel leans in to follow her finger, and Robert Repp uses high-powered binoculars. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bird-watchers Peter Wetzel, left, Robert Repp and Brad Dawson look for birds through the thick brush at Peters Canyon Regional Park. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
When walking along the trail, Brad Dawson says experienced bird-watchers can identify birds by the sounds they make before seeing them. Robert Repp, left, Christiane Shannon, Peter Wetzel and Brad Dawson,were participants in the annual bird count. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Bird-watcher Brad Dawson smiles after locking his telescope onto a belted kingfisher sitting on a tree branch with a just-caught fish in its mouth. Also watching the action are Peter Wetzel, left, Christiane Shannon and Robert Repp. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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